


Flood

by Unbridgeable



Series: The Flood Universe [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2018-11-06 04:25:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11028600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unbridgeable/pseuds/Unbridgeable
Summary: Country girl Bailey Carpenter is nothing new or special - at least, as far as she's aware.But when he shows up - Leo Valdez, on her doorstep with her best friend, Charlie - Bailey slowly begins to realise that the world isn't quite what it seems.





	1. Thirteen - the luckiest number

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone - this is also posted on Wattpad, if any of you guys use it :)

**HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!**

The alarm clock's shrill squeaking pierced through Bailey's skull like an ice-pick, rousing her from her peaceful sleep. She rolled over to check the time, scowling sleepily.

Her alarm clock blinked innocently back at her: 6:00am

After grumbling a few creative expletives under her breath, she rolled over and nuzzled back into her blankets...

...Right before sprawling onto the floor as a product of her hurried excitement. Charlie was coming to visit from Sydney today, and she had two surprises. That, Bailey could not miss.

Swiping a flannel, a pair of jean shorts and her riding boots from her cupboard, she bolted down the hallway and locked herself into the bathroom, flipping on the shower as hot as it would go. Though the water almost scalded her skin, Bailey didn't mind. There was something about the water - any water really - that comforted her, and made her feel almost stronger.

When she finally made her way into the kitchen, it was six-thirty, and the sun was just peeking over the hills in the east, shining through the mist that had rolled in around the mountains. Snatching an apple out of the fruit bowl, she scanned the note left by her mother - she and Greg, her mother's husband, had headed down to the market in town to pick up the monthly supplies - then tugged on her riding boots and pushed out the font door, leaping off of the front porch and crossing the yard towards the barn, waving to Chris the farmhand as she went.

Halfway through her morning chores, she stopped in her tracks, holding a hand up to shade her eyes from the early morning sun. Light filtered through the gum trees that were clustered everywhere, alighting gently on dust motes kicked up by the horses and the sheep, and a warm Northerly breeze tousled the ends of her hair gently. Bailey felt the corners of her mouth tug up in a small smile: this was exactly why she loved living in the country. There was no smog, traffic noise or other distractions, just the fresh, clean air and the snuffling of the animals. It was paradise in its purest form.

It was almost eight by the time she was finished - finished meaning that she had fed all twelve of their horses, fed the herd of nineteen sheep, checked on the thirty-six cattle down in the pasture by the lake, and set up the two spare bedrooms upstairs - why two specifically, she didn't know. As far as she was aware, Charlie couldn't have that much luggage. Maybe Aunt Rosie was going to come to visit too.

Bailey sat at the stone counter-top in the kitchen, staring down at a bowl of soggy Weet-Bix, contemplating whether or not to actually finish them. They had soaked up practically all of the milk and probably wouldn't be worth eating now, unless she wanted a mouthful of intolerable sludge. She had spent the last ten minutes glancing between her bowl and the clock and back again, internally debating with herself about who would arrive first - her mother and Greg, or Charlie.

The familiar tune of Waltzing Matilda filled the air inside the house - the doorbell's tune had been a gag gift from her friends down at the stable last Christmas.

"I guess that answers that question," Bailey muttered, sliding gleefully to the door in socked feet and ripping it open, only to come face to face with a boy whom she had never seen before.

"SURPRISE!!" Charlie whisper-yelled, jumping out from behind the porch-swing, grabbing Bailey around the waist and pulling her in for a squeezing hug.

"Kinda suffocating here, Blinky-Bill." Bailey choked out, laughing slightly as her friend released her. "Anyway, there's no need to whisper. Mum 'n Greg are down at the store." Charlie shrugged.

"Would you rather me scream it to the world?" She retorted, dropping her hands to her sides. Bailey laughed.

"No, no that's ok." She looked Charlie up and down, cheeks aching from her wide smile. "Seriously though, it's good to see you." She glanced over at the boy, who was standing off to one side looking incredibly uncomfortable. Before she got the chance to ask Charlie to introduce him, said best friend charged inside, completely disregarding the two left by the door.

"Have you ever tried the food on the V-Line, Bay?" She grumbled, dumping her bag at the base of the stairs. "It's absolutely horrendous." Bailey frowned to herself. She had not, in fact, tried the food on the country train service line, but it appeared to her that Charlie had missed something. Smiling apologetically at the boy, she held the door open wider by way of inviting him inside. He nodded gratefully, his dark curls bouncing in the breeze, rubbing surreptitiously at the dark coloured dust smeared all over his cheeks, before stepping inside and trailing after Charlie - who seemed to be on a mission to find decent tasting food, yabbering on incessantly about the bad service on the train.

Bailey shut the front door and rounded the corner into the kitchen, where Charlie was sitting at the kitchen bench, stuffing her face with Bailey's abandoned Weet Bix, the strange boy was standing slightly behind her. Bailey sighed, frustrated by her friend's lack of manners, and looked carefully at the boy.

"You hungry?" Bailey asked. He jolted, like she had struck him with one of the electric cattle prods owned by her neighbours, jumped about a metre in the air, and looked at her questioningly, as if he were asking 'Who, me?'. Bailey sighed, strolling over to the pantry and levering it open. "Sorry, we don't have a lot at the moment - Mum literally just left to get the monthly restocking supplies - but we do have Weet Bix, Crunchy Nut, and half a a box of Coco Pops." She informed him. When he didn't reply, she looked around the door of the pantry, slightly concerned that Charlie might have eaten him too. But he was just standing there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, seemingly at a loss for words.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't know what any of those are." He finally said. His accent surprised Bailey, but she quickly understood.

"American, huh?" She asked, leaning her chin on the pantry door handle. He nodded quietly. She nodded in return. "Well that explains it. Crunchy Nut is like really sweet cornflakes, Coco Pops is like rice puffs, only they're chocolate flavoured, and Weet Bix is the only healthy thing we have in this whole frickin' kitchen." The boy looked somewhat surprised. Bailey laughed. "Or you can have an apple." She added. He just nodded again. She frowned slightly to herself, but shrugged, reaching over to the fruit bowl and tossing him one, which he managed to catch after a fair bit of fumbling.

She leaned on the kitchen counter, watching him rub it off on his T-shirt before biting into it, chewing it carefully. She opened her mouth again.

"I'm Bailey by the way. Charlie's forgotten her manners again." Charlie rolled her eyes from where she sat, slurping up the remains of the Weet Bix. The boy swallowed the chunk of apple.

"Valdez, Leo Valdez." He replied. Charlie groaned, swallowing her last bite and fixing Leo with a look. He merely shrugged in response.

"Bond style, huh?" Bailey chuckled, pointing at him. "You and I will get along just fine." Leo seemed relieved. She laughed again, short and clear, and turned to her best friend. "So, Blinky, where'd you get this one over here?" Charlie switched her focus.

"Leo's mother's cousin is my mum's sister's husband." She replied. Bailey arched an eyebrow.

"You know you could have just said his second cousin was your Aunt's husband." She told her. Charlie shrugged.

"I live to make everyone else's lives more complicated."

"You can say that again." Leo chuckled. Bailey shot him a smile. She had a feeling this summer was going to go well.

 **~ ><~><~><~**  
**LEO  
** **~ ><~><~><~**

When Charlie asked Leo to help her scare her best friend upon their arrival, he had refused adamantly.

They had been dropped off by a cab at the gate to a very large block of land, and Leo had had to endure the 300m walk up to the house dragging a heavy suitcase and listening to Charlie whine and whinge and con him into scaring her friend. He continued to refuse - for all he knew, she could be some kind of drop-dead beauty whom he could sweep off her feet - although the second half of his imaginary scenario seemed less than likely. Either way, he didn't exactly feel like getting on this girl's bad side.

When they reached the door, Charlie turned to him in one last-ditch effort to try and get him to go through with her plan.

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" She whined, pulling the puppy dog eyes and the pouty face and everything. Leo sighed, and repeated the same sentence for the fifth time in the space of ten minutes.

"No, because I don't know her and I don't want to look like an idiot." Charlie looked at him sympathetically.

"Well that's unfortunate..." She muttered. Leo felt his eyebrows draw together in a frown.

"What do you mean - ?" But before he could say another word Charlie had rung the doorbell and all but disappeared, leaving him standing dumbstruck at the front door, searching for her frantically.

A loud clanking noise sounded from within the house, like someone had dropped a spoon into a bowl, before Leo heard the pounding of feet on floorboards and the door was flung open. The girl froze in her act, her excitement turning into a confused frown as she took in his appearance.

Leo struggled to get a word out. His guess had been correct - she was incredibly good looking. She was tall for a thirteen year old girl, maybe an inch so more than he was, and she held herself upright and confident, sun-kissed, long limbs resting easily by her sides, lean and strong-looking, clear evidence of days spent working hard in the outdoors. Her hair was caught somewhere in limbo between brown and black, resulting in a colour that in the sunlight looked like dark chocolate, but Leo was sure would look pitch black in shadow. And her eyes - Leo did a double take when he saw her eyes. He'd never seen anything quite like them. They were a startling sea green, and just one look into them made him feel like he had been plunged into the ocean.

And then Charlie burst out from her hiding place, startling both him and the other girl. After exchanging hugs and greetings - during which Leo saw the girl's face light up in a smile, causing his own lips to twitch up involuntarily - Charlie stormed into the house and through to the kitchen, shouting something about food over her shoulder, and calling the other girl 'Bay'. 'Bay' sighed, her sea green eyes flickering to Leo as she scanned him curiously. Shifting from foot to foot, and rubbing nervously at the grease that he just knew was splotched all over his cheeks, he almost sighed with relief as she smiled carefully at him and widened the door in a gesture of invitation. He smiled shakily back, following Charlie inside only to freeze in his tracks when he saw her shovelling a gruel-like substance into her mouth. That had to have been the source of the spoon-sound.

'Bay' trailed after them into the kitchen, merely rolling her eyes at Charlie's immediate consumption of whatever food she laid eyes on. After a moment, she spoke.

"You hungry?" She asked. Leo jolted, eyes flittering around the room quickly to confirm that she was actually talking to him, and that there was no one else in the near vicinity. When he looked at her again, she had opened a cupboard, and was scanning the shelves. "Sorry, we don't have a lot at the moment - Mum literally just left to get the monthly restocking supplies - but we do have Weet Bix, Crunchy Nut, and half a box of Coco Pops."

Leo felt like she had just rattled off a list of gibberish words at him and expected him to understand their meaning. He stood there for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, but no sound came out. When he was finally able to string together a coherent sentence, he managed to squeeze out.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't know what any of those are." She considered him for a moment.

"American, huh?" Leo nodded. She nodded back. "Well that explains it. Crunchy Nut is like really sweet cornflakes, Coco Pops is like rice puffs, only they're chocolate flavoured, and Weet Bix is the only healthy thing we have in this whole frickin' kitchen." Leo still felt like he didn't quite get it. She laughed, a musical, tinkling laugh. "Or you can have an apple." Now this Leo did understand. He nodded eagerly, not trusting himself to open his mouth again. She tossed him a red one, and after a fair bit of fumbling, which brought on a light red blush, he bit into the round little fruit, chewing carefully.

'Bay' leant against the kitchen counter, watching him curiously.

"I'm Bailey by the way. Charlie's forgotten her manners again." Charlie rolled her eyes. Leo almost choked as he swallowed, holding back a nervous laugh.

"Valdez, Leo Valdez." He replied. He could only hope that she appreciated his reference. A pained, animalistic groan sounded from Charlie's throat, and she made a face at him. He just shrugged in response. Bailey, however, laughed again.

"Bond style, huh?" She chuckled, pointing at him. "You and I will get along just fine." Leo felt a wave of relief wash over him - a) this girl knew the classics, and b), she seemed to have accepted him. Bailey grinned, looking over at Charlie. "So, Blinky, where'd you get this one over here?" Charlie's head swung in her direction.

"Leo's mother's cousin is my mum's sister's husband." She replied, seeming mightily proud of herself for stringing that one together. Leo resisted the urge to make a very dramatic face palming action, and Bailey raised her eyebrows.

"You know you could had just said that his second cousin was your Aunt's husband." She deadpanned. Charlie shrugged, her expression innocent, but she was clearly very pleased with herself.

"I live to make everyone else's lives more complicated." She replied simply. Leo snorted.

"You can say that again." Bailey shot him an appreciative smile, one that Leo just couldn't help but return. Things were going to work out just fine.

 **< >><<>><<>**  
**BAILEY  
** **< >><<>><<>**

It was about three hours after Bailey had shown both Leo and Charlie to their rooms that her mother and step-father arrived home. They found the three teens sprawled out in the living room, Bailey and Charlie poring over old photo albums and pointing out the more embarrassing photos of each other to Leo, who laughed, and seemed to be relaxing into their company. For that, Bailey was glad - he seemed like a nice guy, and she didn't want for him to feel left out.

The front door made it's characteristic 'clacking' sound as it shut behind her parents, and they made their way down the hallway, arms laden with green fabric bags full of groceries. Bailey jumped up to help them, but her mother, Denise, just smiled, waving her away.

"Catch up with Charlie." She told her. "You can help with these later." Bailey shot her a grateful smile, and settled back down beside her best friend, picking up an album they hadn't yet looked through. It was like taking a jump back in time. There was that one time when it was Charlie's third birthday and she had decided that it was to be a fairy-themed party, but Bailey had insisted on dressing up as Yoda from Star Wars. Or their first day of high school together a year ago. They had both been so excited. And so close too, before Charlie moved away. Bailey missed those days.

Before she knew it, her mother was calling them to lunch, telling them to wash their hands and come into the kitchen. When they were seated around the table, Denise shot Charlie a meaningful look. Charlie sent her one back. Bailey frowned, sharing a confused glance with Leo.

"Am I missing something here?" She asked. Her mother grinned.

"Charlie has a surprise for you."

Bailey looked sideways at her best friend, gesturing for her to elaborate. Charlie smiled a smile that lit up her whole face, like she had accidentally swallowed the sun.

"Well, see, here's the thing." She paused, as though trying to find the right words. "My parents have decided that it is in our best interests if me and Leo - as they are currently his legal guardians - staywithyouandyourfamilyindefinately." Bailey just stared at her, almost spitting out a mouthful of her sandwich in surprise. After a somewhat violent coughing fit, which included a heavy patting on the back from both Charlie and Leo, she managed to swallow.

"You're home for good?" She asked, an incredulously happy feeling beginning to bubble in the base of her stomach. Charlie grinned.

"That's right, baby. The Charlinator is back." She crowed. Bailey deadpanned.

"I thought we had agreed on putting that word out of use a long, long time ago." She shuddered. Charlie looked at her curiously.

"You sure? I kinda like it. I think it fits, don't you?" She replied. Bailey slammed her forehead down onto the table,ignoring the dull pain it sent ringing through her skull.

"Blinky, I love you and all, but sometimes you are ridiculous." She mumbled into the placemat, trying not to laugh. Charlie, however, did laugh, reaching over to the fruit bowl and popping a strawberry into her mouth.

"I know."


	2. Slime green doesn't suit you

Bailey raced up the stairs two-by-two, rounding the corner at the top and nearly crashing head-first into Charlie's bedroom door. Said best friend and her distant cousin, Leo, had stayed overnight, and Denise, Bailey's mother, had suggested that Bailey take them out for a tour of the farm grounds.

Pounding on Charlie's door with her closed fist, Bailey grinned at the red-haired girl as she swung it open. Charlie frowned.

"What's with the 'I'm-a-crazy-teddy-bear-and-I'm-going-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep' face, Bay?" She asked, leaning on the door frame. Bailey shrugged.

"Mum suggested that I take you guys for a ride so we can show Leo around. We can go down to the river and have a swim too, if you want." She replied. Charlie's expression immediately changed to her characteristic _'I have just swallowed the sun'_ grin, and she slammed the door in Bailey's face. Charlie returned about seven seconds later dressed in her jodhpurs and her riding boots. Bailey scrunched up her face, rubbing her nose and glaring at the door.

"You could seriously hurt a girl by doing that, Blinky Bill." She told her. Charlie deadpanned.

"Whoops, my bad." She chuckled, not sounding in the least bit concerned. She waved Bailey off, before gesturing down the corridor. "Let's go get Boy Wonder." Bailey rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and nodded, jogging over to Leo's door as they made their way back to the stairs.

"Oi, Leo!" She called, rapping on the door. "Open up!"

Leo appeared so suddenly that Bailey nearly crashed back into Charlie, who was standing behind her. The boy's face was smeared with dust and grease. So were his hands, t-shirt, shorts, arms and every visible inch of skin on his body. Bailey held a hand to her chest, effectively slowing her racing heart.

"Careful with the door! Why is everybody swinging doors around today!" She laughed. "Anyway, what's with the grease?" Leo made a face, but before he could say anything remotely coherent, Charlie interrupted.

"He's working on another one of his projects again." She piped. Bailey felt her curiosity rise.

"Projects?" She asked, looking at Leo. He shrugged, closing the door over a little bit further.

"P-paper clips, pipe cleaners, l-little machines, you know, bits and pieces. Nothing really important." He stammered, folding his arms. "What's up?" Bailey resisted the urge to laugh at his obvious discomfort, feeling that it would be rude.

"We're taking you for a ride to see the farm." She told him, gesturing to the jodhpurs both she and Charlie were wearing. Leo made another face, and Bailey held up a hand. "Yeah, I'm sorry, but you have no choice in the matter." Charlie nodded in agreement, and the two made their way downstairs before he could protest.

"Wear something comfortable, but preferably long! Like jeans or something!" Bailey called over her shoulder. "Oh! And bring your swimmers!"

**> <><><><><><**

Bailey felt extremely self-satisfied as she watched Charlie mount Alto. The cheeky palomino gelding had been Charlie's horse before she moved to Sydney, at which point Charlie had practically begged Bailey to take him. She told her that she couldn't bear the thought of someone else owning her beautiful baby. After a few laps around the sandy arena, Charlie pulled him to a halt in front of Bailey, her grin stretching from ear to ear. Bailey couldn't help but grin back.

"Feels that good, huh?" She asked. Charlie sighed.

"You have no idea. I've been waiting too long for this." She declared, patting down Alto's neck. Bailey laughed.

"It's only been a couple o' months, Blinky." She reminded her. Charlie wrinkled her nose, tugging on the end of her red plait.

"Then it's been a couple of months too long." She tossed her plait back over her shoulder, glancing back towards the house. Her grin immediately grew larger. "Oh dear god." She buckled over in the saddle, laughter wracking her slim form. Bailey frowned at her friend, following her gaze.

Leo was trudging down the front steps, scowling, an over-sized, bright, slime-green helmet on his head. Bailey could hear him muttering under his breath as he picked his way over to them, hands shoved deep in his pockets, kicking at the dust in the yard.

"You right there, Boy Wonder?" Charlie crowed as he reached the fence. Bailey could tell that her friend was unable to keep the grin off her face, even for his benefit. Leo glanced up at them, leveling an even glare up at Charlie.

"Just fantastic, Charlie. Absolutely wonderful." He growled, tugging at the straps of the atrocious helmet. Bailey chuckled once, before starting off towards the barn, throwing a look back at Charlie as she went.

"You good out here for a few minutes?" She asked. The red-head nodded.

"Me and Alto are just fine." She gestured to Leo. "Don't know about that one, though." Leo stuck his tongue out at her. She stuck hers out in return. "Where're you going?" Bailey glanced over at Leo. She certainly felt sympathy for him - she hadn't worn that helmet since she was much, much younger; young enough to warrant supervision whilst she was actually on horseback. Now, it was usually reserved for the younger kids who occasionally received lessons from her mother or herself.

According to Denise, however, Leo appeared to classify as one of those kids.

"I'm going to let Leo borrow my old helmet." Bailey smiled brightly as Leo's expression lifted, and he stared at her gratefully. Completing the journey to the barn, she waved for him to follow her, and she laughed quietly to herself as he scampered along to keep up, tugging furiously at the helmet straps in an effort to pull it off his head. Passing through the giant red door, Bailey ducked around the corner and into the tack room, immediately making a beeline for her cubby and taking her old, matte black competing helmet off of its hook.

Glancing at Leo, she dusted it off and turned it over in her hands. Bailey didn't wear this helmet often anymore either, only when she was participating in events at the pony club closer to town. Passing it to him, she bit her bottom lip in satisfaction as Leo's face broke into a smile and he exchanged the black helmet for the slime green one.

"Thanks." He murmured, glancing up at Bailey as she took the offending piece of equipment from him. She shook her head, smiling - seeing him grin brought a strange feeling to her stomach, like someone was tying the organ itself up into knots - and she quickly looked away again, sliding the helmet onto a shelf and grabbing her own off its hook.

"Don't mention it. Slime green doesn't suit you anyway." She replied with a soft chuckle. When her eyes returned to Leo, he was looking down at his feet, ears slightly pink, black helmet buckled on tightly. Bailey felt her eyebrows draw together in a frown. "You alright?" Leo glanced up, locking eyes with her for a moment before looking away.

"Yeah, I'm fine. All good here, y'know?" He mumbled, gesturing vaguely back towards the door. "We were going somewhere?" Bailey arched an eyebrow at him, his change in demeanor puzzling her.

"Yep..." She looked at him for a minute, and he seemed to almost shrink under her curious gaze. She sighed, pasting on a bright smile and patting his shoulder. "Come on, we need to get you on horseback."

Unfortunately for Bailey, doing so was easier said than done.

Leo wasn't scared of horses. No, that wasn't really the issue. The problem was that they seemed to be terrified of him.

Pancha was the gentlest horse Bailey had ever met. The pretty little bay mare had a tendency to rub her face on your shoulder, or nuzzle into your neck as if she was giving you a hug, and she was always the sweetest with the younger riders who came for lessons. But when Leo approached her, she went ballistic.  
Her ears were pinned flat to the back of her head, and she shied sideways four steps for every step forward that Leo took. Her eyes rolled and showed their whites, and her breathing became nervous and laboured, accompanied by a strange whinnying sound that she had never heard her make before

Bailey frowned, moving to Pancha's head and rubbing a hand up under the browband on her bridle, scratching the itchy spot that she always seemed to have. An image swam into the corner of her vision, one filled with smoke and fire, but she brushed it away. Now was not the time to be daydreaming.

"Hey, baby girl, shhhhh. It's ok, he's not gonna hurt you." She murmured, moving her hand in small circular motions along her coat. But her attempts to soothe the horse had only a small affect.

"Bailey..." Leo's small, sad voice reached her ears. "It's ok, we can do something else." Bailey glanced up at him, ignoring Charlie's halting giggles from the other side of the yard.

"No." She replied firmly, running a hand down to Pancha's withers and moving around to her side. "I will do whatever it takes to get you on horseback. You won't be able to live here without learning how to ride." She peered over Pancha's back. "She'll be ok, she just needs a moment." Leo nodded, although he seemed reluctant, and she watched as he trudged over to the fence, lifting himself up and sitting on the top rail.

Bailey took a deep breath, sighing through her nose, before leaning into Pancha's neck, pressing her face into her coat.

"Would you try, Pancha? Please? He's really not that bad. Sure, he smells a little weird..." She shot a look over to Leo to make sure he couldn't hear. "And his accent is damn strange, but he's nice. He won't hurt you." She paused for a moment, then pressed closer to her ears and whispered. "I promise."

A shuddering sigh rippled through Pancha's body, and the little mare shook like a dog, lowering her head slightly and fixing Bailey with a resigned look that said, _'fine, but only because you're asking nicely'_. Bailey smiled, fishing a sugar cube from her pocket and offering it up to her.

"Thank you." She murmured, scratching her behind the ears as her warm lips whuffed over her palm. She looked up, arching an eyebrow and shooting Leo a smile.

"Hows about we give this another go?" She called. Leo's eyebrows drew together in a frown.

"Are you sure?" He replied, reluctantly slipping down from his perch. Bailey grinned.

"Absolutely positive." She told him, leading a now-complacent Pancha around to the mounting block, where Leo was finally able to mount her with no problems. Bailey took a step back, enjoying Leo's look of slack-jawed surprise.

"How - but you - she - she hated me!" He stammered, eyes as wide as saucers. She laughed.

"Her name's Pancha - and sometimes horses just need a little reassurance." She said, running her hand down Pancha's nose and whispering a final _'thank you'_.


	3. Our place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for how short this chapter is!  
> \- B x

The wind whistled sharply through Bailey's ears, tearing at her hair and her clothes with warm, crooked fingers as she raced along the ridge-line, her equine best friend - a five year-old buckskin gelding named C.J - flying along beneath her. The trail they were on was straight and narrow, but flat enough that a local rider could navigate it at high speed. If they knew it well, of course.

The dense bush whipped past the pair, and as they broke out into the direct heat of the summer sun, Bailey was suddenly able to see for kilometres in all directions, right across the flatlands in the west and up to the mountains in the east.

Slowing her breathing, she rubbed C.J's neck with her gloved fingers, using the grip material along the inside of her thumb to scratch behind his ears. An elation that she only ever felt through riding settled in a light, airy layer within her lungs, and a grin stretched her lips from ear to ear.

A terrified squeak - it was the only way she could think to describe it - rang through the air further back along the trail. Twisting in her saddle, Bailey craned her neck to peer back through the overgrown entrance.

The golden streak that was Alto, Charlie's palomino gelding, was charging towards her, and if she squinted just right, she could see a pair of flailing arms that obviously belonged to Leo. Charlie's curses could be heard over the thundering of her mount's hooves, and as they pulled up alongside Bailey, Charlie leaned over and kicked her cousin in the shin, almost sending him tumbling off Pancha's rump and into the muddy grass.

"Don't do that again, dumb-arse!" She scolded, reaching around and whacking him over the head for good measure. "If we hadn't slowed down over that last hill you would have gone flying!" Bailey watched in amusement as her best friend continued screeching, ranting about Leo's wayward arms and stupid swinging legs. She let her continue for a moment, before cutting in.

"Blinky, if we don't head off now, we won't be able to spend any time at the beach." She prompted. Charlie rolled her eyes, nodding, before following her down the track to the lake, thwacking Leo in the ribs and hissing at him under her breath, as if it would make much difference.

It was a beautiful day, and even though Bailey admittedly preferred the winter months, this was something that she simply couldn't deny. The sky was a rich, robin's egg blue, and the dusty trail down to the river was lined with daisies and wildflowers that poked their heads resiliently above those of their taller, less colourful neighbours. The breeze was gentle, just cool enough to fend off the sweltering midsummer heat that her farm was generally used to, but - thankfully - it wasn't too cold. With it, it carried golden dust motes, kicked up by the hooves of their equine companions.

"Are you daydreaming up there, Bay?" Charlie called, tossing a piece of grass her way. She merely turned around and stuck her tongue out at her friend, waving a hand at her dismissively.

"Try and keep up then!" She hollered back.

Picking up the pace a little bit as the ground evened out, she let C.J have his head, before gathering him beneath her and then stretching him out, nearly laughing with delight as he sprang forward, soaring over the dry field as if they shared a pair of golden wings. Charlie whooped loudly behind her, and soon the red-haired girl had pulled Alto up alongside.

Leo squeaked as Pancha erupted beneath him, her thoroughbred roots emerging as she matched her stride with Alto. Chuckling, Bailey slowed slightly and steered C.J left, heading for a thin line of trees a few hundred metres away that she knew lined the best swimming spot within a good three kilometre radius.

The leafy, dappled shade was a welcome change from the scorching summer's sun, and as Bailey swung down from the saddle, she had to wipe away sweat from beneath the base of her helmet so it didn't drip in her eyes. After looping C.J's reins over a branch and removing his saddle, she ensured he was within reach of the burbling water of the river before picking her way through the brush to where Charlie had tied Alto, and was attempting to pull Leo from Pancha's saddle.

"I can't!" He snapped, staring resolutely ahead and ignoring the red-head's prodding. Bailey arched an eyebrow up at him, looping a few fingers through Pancha's bridle and sharing a glance with Charlie.

"Why not?" She asked. Leo's face began to burn bright red - and she could tell it wasn't because of the day's heat.

"I just CAN'T! OK?!" He spat, looking off to one side to avoid her gaze. Bailey frowned, and ran a hand up and down Pancha's neck, inching her fingers closer to the reins that were tightly in Leo's grasp as she did so.

"Leo, it's ok, we'll - "

"You don't understand." He mumbled. "I don't know if my legs will hold me." After a beat of silence, Bailey began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she doubled over, and could feel her stomach muscles clenching together in an almost pain that was so very pleasant. Leo began to protest, but she cut him off, waving a hand through the air.

"Do you trust me?" She hiccuped, holding a hand out towards him. He eyed her dubiously, but nodded slowly, and took her hand. Bailey smiled, though she could feel Charlie rolling her eyes behind her. "Good. Now, I want you to take your right leg, and swing it carefully over Pancha's rump. I'll hold her for you, so all you have to do is get yourself down."

Once Leo's feet were safely on the ground, though his knees were a bit shaky, Bailey clapped him on the shoulder.

"See? That wasn't that hard!" She grinned. Leo wrinkled his nose, smirking.

"Hard? What are you talking about? That was easier than going to sleep at night!" He crowed, grinning at her. She had a feeling that part of that sentence was a lie.

Charlie scoffed, turning on her heel to retrieve her towel and sunglasses from her backpack, and Bailey watched on in amusement - because the red-head didn't see the wink that Leo had sent Bailey's way behind her back.

Grabbing Leo's hand, she tugged him towards the shoreline, kicking off her boots and tossing her helmet to the ground as she did so.

"Come on, let's go for a swim."


	4. Our classroom explodes

The days drew into weeks that soon drew into months. Leo and Charlie were enrolled into Bailey's high school - well, Charlie was re-enrolled - and the three of them soon started year eight together at North Creek Secondary College.

Bailey noticed Leo's lack of enthusiasm for school, and found herself wholeheartedly empathising with him. School had always been a challenge for each of them - Leo was a primary dyslexic and had a serious case of ADHD, which interfered regularly with his studies and especially his homework. Bailey, on the other hand, had visual dyslexia that had been treated with therapy, and lessened to the extent where she could read most things with only a small amount of difficulty. She also suspected she had mild ADD, but her parents had never bothered to have her formally diagnosed.

And while it certainly wasn't as difficult for her as it was for Leo, she didn't exactly favour school either. North Creek Sec sat on a little hill overlooking the town, and was made up of four, enclosed beige buildings that always felt suffocating and uncomfortable, especially in the heat of summer. It was there that she usually found herself feeling claustrophobic and trapped, away from the airy rooms of her farmhouse, or the fresh snap of the bush. She especially hated the uniforms - a green and white-striped cotton dress in the summer, and a pale blue blouse and green woolen skirt in the winter. Both felt utterly constricting, and she constantly looked forward to shucking them off at the end of each day.

But the students were mostly nice, and everyone was generally treated with respect, so Bailey did sometimes regret complaining about it all.

"Carpenter!" A voice called over the football oval as Bailey and Charlie headed to their period four science class. Bailey tossed a glance over her shoulder, shifting her books in her grasp so she could shade her eyes from the early March sun. The air was still heavy with residual February heat, like the world hadn't realised that summer was over and autumn required far less warmth. A boy she didn't recognise jogged across the brown grass towards the pair of girls, waving a skinny arm at them wildly in an attempt to get them to stop. They did, sharing a look, before Bailey turned back to the fast approaching boy. 

He was younger than her - maybe twelve, eleven at the youngest - putting him in the grade below. He was far shorter and skinnier than the other boys she knew who were his age, and he began panting almost asthmatically as he drew to a halt in front of them. 

"You're... you're Bailey Carpenter... right?" He huffed between gasps, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees. Bailey frowned, utterly confused.

"Yeah...? Sorry, but I don't actually know who you are." She saw no point in pretending, and ignored Charlie's snide giggle at her expense. The boy snapped upright immediately.

"Right, sorry." He spat, as though he'd remembered that he was in a huge hurry. "I'm Cam. I was one of the guides that Mrs Yandie assigned to your friend Leo." Charlie tugged at Bailey's sleeve, reminding her that they had to get to class. She nodded at her red-haired best friend, holding up a hand to tell her they'd go in a moment.

"Um, that's great?" She replied. "I don't really see what that has to do with me though." Cam heaved another breath.

"He's locked himself in the metalwork room." He wheezed. "Says he won't come out unless you or a McKinley-someone came to get him." 

Bailey felt Charlie stop pulling at her sleeve, and the two girls shared a worried glance. Leo had been known to have minor panic attacks, though Bailey had only ever played as a witness to one; their first day of school, the elfish boy had been swamped by kids asking him about his accent and the USA, as youths in a small town often did when someone different showed up. He had completely clammed up, and shut himself in the disabled bathroom under the stairs, just behind the tuck shop. Charlie had told her about some similar occurrences whilst he was living with them in Sydney while they waited for him to calm down, leaning slumped against the wall beside the door. When he finally had emerged, it was as if nothing had happened, and the three of them made their way off to P.E, leaving Bailey to grasp at empty threads of a story that had gone almost completely over her head.

"Cam, can you run to the E-rooms and tell Mr Bing that we'll be late to science?" Bailey spat quickly, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "We shouldn't be too long." He rewarded her with a snappy, if somewhat clumsy salute, and sprinted off in the direction of the East building. Charlie caught her gaze and nodded sharply. Dropping their books, the girls sprinted back across the oval, making a beeline for the Arts centre.

Decorated with a breath-taking Indigenous mural across the front double doors, the Arts centre was the only structure on North Creek's little campus that wasn't squat, boring or a strange shade of brown. It was a little bit larger than your average house, and was composed of five classrooms, of which, the metalwork room sat in the back left-hand corner. Bailey and Charlie pelted down the corridor, coming to a heaving stop outside the class' door. 

A great commotion of clashing metal and what sounded like Mr Greckinwald's blow torch greeted them, and Bailey felt her stomach flip over and tie itself into a knot. No one except for Mr Greck was allowed to touch the blow torch (with the exception of Madame Bulfone, the French teacher, which she thought was rather odd), so the fact that she could hear its roaring hiss through the walls was quite frightening.

Without waiting to hear what Charlie had to say, she shoved her shoulder against the door, heaving and pounding against the wood with her fist.

"Leo, open up! It's us!" She hollered, leaning further into the frame. Charlie latched onto her shoulder, forcing her to look back.

"Bay, if he's having an attack, he probably won't be able to open the door." She hissed, dropping her arm back to her side and looking up and down the hallway. "We should probably try to find another way in." 

Bailey thought for a moment, turning her back to the door and slumping against it. Charlie was right. She needed to listen to her brain here, not the roaring voice that was screaming at her from the pit of her stomach to just 

She didn't get the moment she needed to think. All of a sudden, the door swung inwards, leaving her to sprawl backwards across the floor, lying dazed and staring up at the ceiling for a moment. Charlie hauled her to her feet, and as soon as she was sure she wasn't going to end up on her bum again, she surveyed the room.

Metal shreds were strewn everywhere. The tabletops were piled high with nuts and bolts and other assorted materials, as if they had exploded out of their draws and made themselves at home on the workbenches. And it seemed like they had, as the bank of draws at the back of the room was hanging open, handles twisted in odd directions like they had been forced off of their rails and wrenched free from their frames. The huge roll of copper sheeting that usually stood in the front corner had been torn right across the middle of the room like one huge, orange carpet.

Leo sat under the teacher's desk, arms wrapped tightly around his knees, face buried beneath his elbows.

Charlie swore beside her. 

"What the... what happened in here?" She murmured, taking a step further into the room. Bailey followed her, eyeing Leo carefully. He hadn't moved since they came in - barely even twitched - as if he couldn't hear them.

Mr Greckinwald's blowtorch sat silent and cold on its stand at the front of the room.

"Leo?" She murmured, moving carefully to crouch beside the table. His shoulders were shaking, like he was crying heavily, but when he finally lifted his head to meet her gaze, his eyes were dry. Instead, they wore a look of total resignation, as if he had given up on running from something that he knew would catch him eventually. He opened his mouth, whispering just low enough so that she could hear.

"It wasn't my fault."

 

 

Leo was sent home early that day. Mr Greckinwald assured the girls that he wasn't in trouble, but Bailey couldn't help but wonder. The state that the metalwork room had been left in would usually be enough to warrant a week-long suspension, at the very least. Leo had been let off with a rest-day and a mild warning.

When she and Charlie arrived home, waving goodbye to the school's regional bus driver, Martin, there was an unfamiliar car sitting at the top of the driveway. It was sleek, and black, and looked like a Lexus, which immediately set off alarm bells in Bailey's head. No one in or around North Creek could afford a car like that, simply because it wouldn't be practical. Farmers needed big, tough four wheel drives to contend with their paddocks and fields, and the people who lived directly in town usually owned little-big cars that could cart around produce easily, like Holden Commodores. 

Charlie seemed to pick up on this as well, because the set of her shoulders became tenser, and her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, as if she could scan the vehicle using her nonexistent x-ray vision. She nudged Bailey with her shoulder, checking to see if she'd noticed, before marching towards the front door, jaw set. Bailey thought she heard her murmur something about "not taking him away again", but Charlie had been so quiet that she hadn't quite caught it, and wasn't quite sure whether to believe what she'd heard anyway. 

She hurried inside after her friend, who only stopped at the entry to the dining room, where Leo sat at the head of the table. Her mother was situated on his right, fingers steepled before her face. Her eyebrows were pinched together in an expression that Bailey found she couldn't identify, and that unsettled her. Across from Denise sat a woman she didn't recognise. She was slender and well composed, with flawless fair skin, and dark, dark brown hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. High sweeping cheekbones and cupid's bow lips constructed a delicate, pretty face, and her eyes were as dark as pitch. They scared Bailey - in them, she saw too many different things to name, swirling in a void so deep that it appeared to contained the entirety of everything.

The two women were engaged in what appeared to be a staring contest, until Leo cleared his throat and tilted his chin in the direction of the girls. Bailey leaned on the door frame, one eyebrow arched.

"Afternoon." She piped shortly, conscious of Charlie as her friend moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her. "What's going on?" 

The strange woman drew herself up taller, fixing Bailey with her bottomless, piercing eyes. She froze under her gaze, and watched in semi-horror as her lips twitched up in a half-smile-half-smirk, as if they had shared some silent secret that had never left her mouth. Leo broke the spell.

"This is Tia Callida, my old babysitter from back home." He scowled at her, but there was no heat behind it. He was as scared of her as Bailey was.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bailey." Her voice was as smooth and as cold as ice. "I've heard many things about you." Bailey held her gaze, refusing to question what she meant. She had no idea how long Tia Callida had been sitting at her kitchen table, but already there was an uncomfortable buzz in the room's atmosphere, like a swarm of bees were living in the ceiling. The air thrummed with the beat of the buzz, and it all seemed to radiate from the dark woman. She wanted her gone.

Callida's mouth twitched in its strange, half-smirk again, and, as if she had just read Bailey's thoughts she stood, stretching her legs. Bailey's mother stood as well, chair screeching back as she did so.

"I must be off." She turned one last time to Leo, and something indescribable passed between them, an understanding that Bailey had no hope of catching. "Let me know of your decision soon."

And then she swept out of the house, sparing neither of the girls another glance.


	5. An Actual Child

Nothing more was said after Tia Callida left. Denise took Leo aside some time after dinner that night and had a hushed conversation with him in the corridor; one that Bailey couldn't eavesdrop on, no matter how hard she tried. She and Charlie weren't given an explanation, and they didn't ask for one either. It seemed that the strange woman's visit was an occurrence of too great a magnitude to bother with idle conversation.

Bailey didn't find out what Leo's decision was supposed to be about either. All she knew was that every day, she woke up in the morning, and he was there. Every day, they trudged down the driveway together to await the bus that would bring them to school. Every day, they got off the bus in exactly the same spot, and trudged back up the driveway together, and into the house. He didn't leave, despite Charlie's worryings, and it didn't seem like he was about to either.

Nights began to cool quickly thereafter. The leaves clothing the row of trees along the line of the farm finally began to show their colours, as if it wasn't already April and summer had finished in March. The autumn school holidays came and went, and Term Two started with the girls donning their woolen skirts and the boys their long trousers. Coats and hoodies began to make appearances in the year level common rooms, draped over the back of couches, and fewer students were being dress-coded for being out of uniform due to the cold.

One particular Friday morning, in the last week or two of April, Bailey exited the front door. She was running late, as per usual - Leo and Charlie were already waiting for her at the bottom of the driveway, and she could just see Charlie's flaming hair winking at her in the distance. Shrugging on her coat, she slipped her school bag on and hurried down the steps, only to stop in her tracks as she noticed the colour of the front lawn.

It wasn't quite 7:30 a.m. yet, so the sun had yet to makes its way over the hills, leaving the lowlands in a surreal, grey-blue light. She could see her breath curling up from her lips like soft, silvery fingers, and the grass beneath her feet was dotted with white specks - the dew on it had frozen. She gave a short laugh, captivated by the crunching sound it made beneath her school shoes. For a moment, she completely lost herself in the sound, jumping up and down like an actual child and squealing in delight at each footfall.

That is, until she heard the bus horn and Charlie's voice screaming at her from the bottom of the driveway. With a panicked screech, she fled down the driveway, feet thudding heavily against the dirt as she tried to maintain her balance with her heavy schoolbag on her back. By the time she made it to the roadside, she was gasping for breath, and honestly, a little bit flustered. Leo flashed her a crooked grin as he helped her up the bus steps and into a seat.

"Need some oxygen there, Bay?" He chuckled, sliding in beside her. Charlie plopped into the row in front of them, immediately dropping her bag and turning to eye the two of them.

"Some?" Her eyes twinkled. "She needs a whole freaking tank!" She chortled, laying her arms across the back of her seat. Bailey rolled her eyes, dumping her bag on the floor between her feet and patting down her hair carefully - it had come quite loose from its ponytail on her impromptu sprint.

"Shut up, you two." She grumbled slightly, unable to help the small smile that pulled at her lips. Leo and Charlie shared a look, before they both began to laugh. Bailey ignored them, instead pulling out her set-reading novel for English, and thumbing through it. She hadn't finished the chapters that they were supposed to have read last night, but she figured that the hour-long bus ride into town would give her enough time to struggle through it.

Leo's leg was pressed hotly against hers the whole time.

 

That night, Charlie invited three of the kids from her drama club over for a movie night. Both Bailey and Leo complained about it beforehand, not knowing the three, unfamiliar faces, but Charlie won out as victorious, as she had veto-ed permission from Denise.

Denise and Bailey's step-father, Greg, were out in the bunkhouse, having dinner with their foreman. Chris and his family had worked on the farm for as long as Bailey could remember, but his young son wasn't there tonight, so she had seen little point in joining them.

So, rather than watch 90's teen rom-coms and cry into their bowls of popcorn and lolly snakes with the group of girls downstairs, Bailey and Leo lay sprawled across her bedroom, not saying very much of any consequence at all.

"How long do you think I could stand in a corner downstairs before they noticed I was there?" Leo wondered, stretching his arms over his head and twisting in his place on the hardwood floor. Bailey eyed him from her spot, hanging upside-down off the side of her bed.

"That depends." She replied. "Where, and for how long?"

Leo seemed to think for a moment, scrunching his nose up as he did so. Bailey had to resist the urge to reach over and smooth out the folds in his forehead - she'd fall off the bed if she tried.

"Right behind them, y'know?" He finally said. "Like, if I stood behind the couch and just waited." Bailey considered this, and constructed the scenario in her mind.

"A while, probably. You know what Charlie's like when she gets caught up in a movie. I'd imagine that those other girls are pretty similar." She observed. Leo chuckled.

"Almost as bad as you with your daydreams."

"Shut up."

She swung herself into a sitting position, edging off the bed and leaning her back up against it. She and Leo had never really spent much time alone together. Sure, there were those few days a couple of weeks ago when Charlie had gone on her drama camp - how she had made those faceless friends in the first place - but other than that, the fiery redhead was almost always in their company. There was something about living under the same roof as her that made her almost inescapable, not that Bailey minded in the least.

That being said, she wouldn't have minded time alone with Leo either.

"Tell me about home." She suddenly blurted, staring at Leo from across the room. He rolled over so he could see her clearly, brows furrowed slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, tell me about your home. About Houston and your family." She persisted. For a moment, she thought he might clam up - it looked like he had been sucker-punched in the gut - but the moment passed as quick as the look, and her regarded her with a calm, almost polished gaze.

"Honestly? There's not much to tell." He sighed, tucking his legs beneath him and sitting up slowly. "I grew up with my mom and her workshop. We were always dirty and covered in grease, but it was nice." A small, wistful smile touched his lips, and his eyes lost some of their focus, as if he were looking back into a happier time that Bailey couldn't see. "After she died, I was meant to live with my Aunt Rosa, but she didn't want me, so I bounced around a few foster homes before Charlie's parents finally found me." His gaze flickered upwards, and a thrill of something unexplainable thrummed through her chest when they made eye contact.

There was silence for a moment or two, before Leo cleared his throat, and Bailey looked away, her cheeks growing hot. _What on Earth was she doing? She couldn't just look at him like_ that _!_

"I'm going away soon." Leo blurted abruptly. Bailey's eyes shot back to him.

"You're what?!" She asked, suddenly forgetting the moment they had shared; if it had been a moment at all. Instead, her mind flew back to the day the dark woman had visited. _Tia Callida_. Was that what she had meant by Leo's decision? Was she going to take him away?

Leo cast his eyes about the room, as if he were searching for the right words to say.

"I've been contacted by this summer camp in New York." Were the words that came out when he finally did speak. "The director knew my father." He hesitated for a moment. She understood why - his father, whom he had never known, had always been something of a sore subject. "He invited me to spend the summer there and get to know a bit about my family history."

"Oh." Bailey nodded slowly. So he wasn't leaving for good. Her fear released its vice-like grip on her chest. "When do you leave?"

"The second week of June." He replied. "Just before winter break."

Bailey didn't really know what to say. What could you say to someone who was in Leo's position? His dad had disappeared without a trace before he was even born; Charlie had once told her that they assumed he was dead. What would it be like, never having a father figure in your life? Bailey had Greg, and despite the fact that he wasn't her blood relative, he looked after her as though she was his own. She couldn't imagine the kind of soul-searching Leo had probably had to do growing up.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." She murmured after a minute or two. Leo smiled softly in return, before coughing once and looking away again.

"Thanks." His discomfort was fairly clear. Bailey couldn't help but chuckle - he could only handle being that deeply personal for so long. Then he'd shut off, rebooting his brain before finding something else to talk about; preferably something humorous.

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

"Hey, did you hear about Charlie's explosion in the cafeteria the other day?" There it was. He was grinning again. The smile that crept onto her face made itself quite comfortable. Her Leo was back.

"In the canteen." She corrected with a small laugh. "No. Tell me about it."

"So, get this. Mitchell Kennedy, right? He walked past the table we were at, tossing his cricket ball around - "

"Wait, was this when I was at hockey training?" Bailey interrupted. Leo nodded sharply.

"Yup. Anyway, so Mitch is tossing his ball about, and it lands right on our bench, and completely knocks Charlie's chocolate milk all over her!" He guffawed. "And Charlie does her whole meltdown thing, y'know? Like, her ears started burning red, and she stood up all slow-like, and just looked at him."

"Shit..." Bailey buried her face in her hands. "He was totally shitting himself, wasn't he?" Leo laughed.

"Absolutely! You should've seen his face! He'd gone all pale, and you could practically see his knees knocking together!..."


	6. Best friends don't keep secrets

Things started to get a little weird after Leo went away. Bailey did notice, as much as her family tried to hide it. Her mother took to staring just a bit too long at the photos of the three teens on the mantelpiece, and Greg was unusually silent when he drove her to hockey training and netball games - an affair that Leo had often been present for. 

That in itself was odd, but it was Charlie who was acting the strangest. Her best friend spent too much time alone in her bedroom, and avoided social outings with Bailey, especially where their school friends were involved. Whenever anyone mentioned Leo's name, she clammed up and refused to say another word, as if he was dead, rather than just on holiday. It was bizarre. Four weeks after he left, she even caught her crying one night, sitting downstairs on the sofa with her mother.

"He'll be ok, sweetheart." Denise was whispering. "They're taking him to be with his family." 

"Bu-but we're his family!" Charlie cried, furiously swiping at the tears leaking from her eyes. Bailey crouched at the top of the stairs, hesitant to interrupt, but unwilling to move away. And she thought she missed Leo a lot - it seemed like Charlie had had her heart ripped out.

"Shhh, darling I know, I know." Denise moved to put an arm around the red-haired girl, rubbing her shoulder and offering her a tissue, which Charlie took and promptly used to blow her nose. "Think about it this way - at least there, he's safe."

A long, shuddering sigh escaped from Charlie, but she nodded, wadding up her tissue and tossing it in the direction of the kitchen. 

"Yeah, he is." She murmured. 

Bailey's eyes widened, and the carpet briefly swayed beneath her. Did her mother just say that he was safe?   
_As if he wasn't safe here? _  
That was absurd! North Creek was so boring and so predictable that it had to be one of the safest places on Earth! She couldn't fathom the thought of it being more dangerous for him here than somewhere halfway across the world.__

__Her mother and Charlie had continued their conversation in hushed tones, but she just couldn't keep listening. Silently, she pulled herself to her feet, before retreating into her bedroom, and shutting the door tightly behind her._ _

__> <><><_ _

__Leo was gone for six and a half weeks in total, before he returned like nothing had happened. The whole family greeted him at the airport, but Bailey was the first to hug him, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tightly._ _

__"I missed you, numbskull." She murmured into his ear, chin resting on his shoulder. Leo pulled back, grinning crookedly at her and tapping her nose._ _

__"I missed you too, Bay." He replied, chuckling slightly. She pulled him in for another hug, before Charlie jammed herself between them and wrangled them into a tangle of arms and legs, piled heavily on the carpeted floor of the arrivals lounge. Laughing, the trio managed to get to their feet, and Bailey stood to one side, leaning on Charlie as her parents greeted Leo. While they waited, a thought crossed her mind._ _

__"You know, you never told me why you were so upset about him going to see his family." She murmured to Charlie, nudging the other girl in the ribs. Charlie turned to her, a fading half smile still on her face._ _

__"What do you mean?" She asked, head cocked slightly to one side. Bailey's eyebrows creased into a frown._ _

__"What do I mean? You practically bawled your eyes out when he left!"_ _

__Charlie's face suddenly went quite blank, and her eyes emptied of any of their usual sparkle. Her eyebrow twitched oddly, and for a moment, Bailey was terrified that she was having a seizure of some kind. But then her face reanimated, and she rolled her eyes, laughing off the accusation._ _

__"I have no idea what you're talking about, Bay." She replied, arching an eyebrow and holding a hand to her forehead. "Are you feeling ok?" Charlie chuckled. Bailey shrugged away from her hand, taking a step back and flicking her gaze over to Leo, who was talking animatedly to her parents, arms flying about in all directions. A sharp pang of unease stabbed at her stomach, and she returned her gaze to Charlie._ _

__"I... um... yeah, I'm fine." She muttered, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go home."_ _

__> <><_ _

__Leo jumped at the chance to go back to school, much to Bailey's surprise. He spent much more time dedicated to his schoolwork, and often disappeared into his room for hours each night. _"Studying" _, he said. He even stayed back in class after school in order to cement his understanding of certain topics with his teachers, especially after the amount of class time he'd missed over the past two months. In fact, it had become an occurrence that was so common, she now knew to wait for him in the Arts Centre on Monday and Thursday afternoons.___ _

____One such afternoon, on a Thursday a week before her fourteenth birthday, she had perched herself up atop the Year Nine lockers, legs crossed under her and a maths sheet balanced on her knee. Her pen was firmly stuck in the corner of her mouth, where she chewed on it fiercely, poring over a particularly difficult problem. She'd been waiting there for over an hour, so she'd already missed the first bus home. If Leo took any longer, they'd miss the second bus too._ _ _ _

____Absently, she glanced up, noting the time. It was four-thirty. Leo had been in the metalwork room for what felt like eons. What could he possibly have been asking Mr Greckinwald that was taking him so long? She could hear them down the hallway, debating the logistics of something in loud voices, though she couldn't hear what was actually being said. This was the second week he'd been going to these extra sessions. Her elfin best friend's attitude to hard work had done a total 180 since he arrived home, and it utterly baffled her._ _ _ _

____"You been waiting long?" Leo's voice cut through the heated air of the hallway as he finally exited the metalwork room, bag slung over one shoulder. The sleeves of his winter shirt had been pushed up to his elbows, and the hem had come untucked from his navy trousers, giving him a ruffled appearance that was only amplified by the smudges of dirt and mechanical grease smeared across his face and forearms. Bailey arched an eyebrow at him, tucking her worksheet into her schoolbag and swinging her legs over the side of the lockers._ _ _ _

____"Only an hour and a half." She deadpanned, rolling her eyes. Leo winced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly._ _ _ _

____"Sorry. I didn't think it'd take that long." He replied, taking a step back and sweeping the remainder of the hallway with a quick glance. "Where's Charlie?" Bailey hopped down from her perch, shrugging her hoodie on and tugging her school jacket over the top._ _ _ _

____"Took the first bus home. Said something about not wanting to wait on you and 'your pointless project'."_ _ _ _

____Leo wrinkled his nose._ _ _ _

____"That's a rude way to talk about one's future overlord." He commented. Bailey chuckled, grabbing at his elbow and pulling him towards the exit._ _ _ _

____"Come on, your Grace-ness, I want to get home before dark." She shouldered the double doors open, leading him out into the fading light of the August afternoon, and towards the bus stop, where the next bus was waiting for them._ _ _ _

____Once they were on, and seated comfortably in the back row - away from a few of the larger Year Tens who seemed to prefer to sit up the front - she turned to look at him, arms folded expectantly._ _ _ _

____"So, when are you going to tell me what this special project of yours is?" She prodded, poking his shoulder. A pale pink flush crept up his neck, reaching with rosy tendrils towards his cheeks as he shook his head fervently._ _ _ _

____"It's a secret." He announced. Bailey elbowed him in the ribs, earning herself an exclamation of protest._ _ _ _

____"Best friends don't keep secrets, Valdez." She grumbled, settling back into her seat and shrinking into her hoodie. A puff of air escaped through his nose, and she waited while he thought about his response._ _ _ _

____"You'll find out soon." He spoke softly, his hand finding hers and gently winding their fingers together. "I promise."_ _ _ _

____It took all of her self-control for Bailey not to spontaneously combust._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter. I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying to build up a little bit of suspense with some of these story elements, but honestly I think I'm just screwing it up half the time lol. 
> 
> HERE WE HAVE A BIT OF FLUFF!! WHAT DO WE THINK - do we ship Valder? I think I need to find a new ship name... If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
> 
> Love always, 
> 
> Blue x


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